Wildcat Fireflies by Amber Kizer

Fenestra Book 2. Random House, 2011. ISBN 9781742751306.
(Age: 15+) Recommended for those who enjoy paranormal stories. This is the second in the series, Fenesetra and follows Meridian, where Meridian has discovered that she is a Fenestra, a half human, half angel who communicates with the dying and helps them transition to the afterlife. After the death of her aunt, she and Tens, her protector, Tens, have journeyed to Indiana to try and find another Fenestra, who they can feel in the area. Juliet, a caring teen, works tirelessly with other orphans, in an old people's home, doing her best to shield everyone from the cruel actions of the women in charge. Meridian and Tens are in a race to rescue Juliet from a life of horror, controlled by the evil Aternocti.
Kizer has excelled herself with descriptions, that felt as if they came out of a Dickens novel, of the life that Juliet leads in  the Dunklebarger Rehabilitation Center, the home for the dying elderly and the foster children. I become very involved in Juliet's story and her struggle to protect the children in her charge and to help the dying. I ached with her when Kirian left the home and didn't contact her, and dreaded the things that could happen to her if Meridian and Tens didn't reach her in time. The book is told both by Meridian and Juliet in different chapters and this works very well at keeping up the suspense and giving the reader information about what is happening.
Readers who enjoyed the first book, Meridian, will be happy to follow the growing relationship between Meridian and Tens, her soul mate. Other characters introduced in the book are well rounded and interesting, including  Rumi, a little boy in the home, and adults in the town, who help sort out problems.
The setting, too, adds to the complexity of the book. The town is so well described that I could see it in my mind's eye and the author's knowledge of Indiana, festivals and countryside is evident. The story of the fireflies that rise from the Wildcat River is also fascinating.
Wildcat fireflies has depth of character and description, with plenty of action and suspense thrown in, and is sure to thrill its readers. In the information at the back of the book, it states that there will be two more books in the series, and I am sure that there will be a following for them.
Pat Pledger